Makar Sankranti is the marking of a new year as per the Hindu Solar Calendar. For me, it is the perfect warm winter day to enjoy urad dal khichdi with ghee, papad, dahi, and achaar. Be sure to watch the video!
About Makar Sankranti
Makar Sankranti is the embarking of a New Year as per the Hindu calendar. Across different states of India, the festival is celebrated as – Pongal, Lohri, Bihu, and so on.
Like any other Indian festival, Makar Sankranti also has a lot of food rituals around it. There is a variety of traditional food items and dishes enjoyed only on the day of Makar Sankranti.
A few popular ones are:
- Til Gud Ladoo
- Puran Poli
- Undhiyu
- Sweet Pongal
- Peanut Chikki
- Meethe Chawal
- Urad Dal Khichdi
- Sarson Ka Saag
- Chana Dal Pulao
- Murmura Ladoo
In Kumaoni culture or the region of Uttarakhand, we celebrate the festival of Makar Sankranti with a family meal of urad dal khichdi with loads of ghee, Kumaoni vada , Pahadi raita , and Ghughute (Kumaoni sweets).
The khichdi eating ritual on Makar Sankranti day is one of my favorite food memories of childhood. Every now and then I try to relive this memory by making dal khichdi to celebrate the festival of Makar Sankranti.
The Significance of Urad Dal
The split urad dal (chilka urad dal) has some sort of divine connection with the festival of Makar Sankranti.
In many regions, it is a must, to consume urad dal on the day of Makar Sankranti. Many people donate packets of uncooked black urad dal and rice to homeless people or those in need. A lot of temples offer urad dal khichdi as parasd (sacred offering) on the day of Sankranti.
And not to forget dollops of ghee with urad dal khichdi for the added flavor and to make it easily digestible.
Those of you complaining about the busy schedule I must tell you this dal khichdi is done in a pressure cooker and takes less than 30 minutes to get ready.
Though I know my grandmother’s soul won’t rest in peace seeing me cooking her favorite khichdi in a pressure cooker. But like you, I too have busy weekdays and demanding weekends. So I did cheat a little bit and adapted the quick route to making urad dal khichdi.
You can make it in an instant pot or electric pressure cooker as well like a regular dal khichdi .
Ingredients Required
Urad Dal: split black gram or chilka urad dal is the key ingredient of this khichdi recipe.
Rice: short to medium-grain white rice. I do not prefer using basmati rice for making khichdi.
Ghee: there is no substitute for ghee in this recipe. Unsalted butter can do the job but the taste is not so delicious.
Whole Spices: cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, dry red chilies
Tempering: cumin seeds, ginger, asafoetida, onion
Seasoning: turmeric, red chili powder, salt, garam masala
Watch Urad Dal Khichdi Video
Serving Suggestion
There is a food saying prevalent in India, ‘ Khichdi ke chaar yaar – dahi, mooli, ghee, achaar . ‘ It translates as khichdi has four friends – curd, radish, ghee, and pickle, without these a bowl of khichdi is not complete.
Hence, you can serve urad dal khichdi with:
Curd or Raita
Radish Salad
Fried or Roasted Papad
Mango or Green Chilli Pickle
More Urad Dal Recipes
Punjabi Sookhi Urad Dal
Punjabi Dahi Bhalla
Shahi Urad Dal
Dal Makhani
Medu Vada
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Ingredients
- ▢ ½ Cup split black gram (chilka urad dal)
- ▢ 1 Cup white rice
- ▢ ⅛ Cup ghee (jeera)
- ▢ 4 cloves (laung)
- ▢ ½ inch cinnamon stick
- ▢ 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
- ▢ 2 dry red chilies
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ▢ ½ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- ▢ ⅓ Cup chopped red onion
- ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- ▢ 1 ½ Cup water
- ▢ 2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Garam Masala ( see recipe )
Instructions
- Rinse urad dal until water runs clear. Soak dal in water for 1 hour. Similarly, rinse rice until water runs clear. Soak in a separate bowl for 15 minutes.
- Once you are ready to prepare khichdi, drain all the water from lentil and rice. Keep them next to the stovetop.
- Heat ghee in a pressure cooker over medium flame. Once hot, cumin seeds, red chilies, cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, grated ginger, and asafoetida. Fry for 20 seconds.
- Add chopped onion. Saute onion till light brown in color. This takes 1 minute.
- Add lentils (dal), red chili powder, turmeric, and saute precisely for 1 minute. This step enhances the flavor of khichdi.
- Next, add rice, mix nicely with other ingredients in the pressure cooker. Add water, salt, and garam masala. At this stage, taste khichdi liquid and if required season with more salt/spices.
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker. Cook khichdi for 2 whistles over low to medium heat. Allow the steam to release naturally from the pressure cooker.
- Open the lid and fluff the khichdi using a fork or spoon.
- Serve Urad Dal Khichdi warm with ghee, papad, and achaar.
Recipe Notes:
- This khichdi is prepared with split black gram. DO NOT use skinned or whole black gram.
- Ghee gives a sweet taste and aroma to the khichdi. Also, it aids in digesting urad dal. I would not recommend using any other fat for cooking this khichdi except ghee or unsalted butter.
- Do not pressure cook the khichdi over high heat. It needs to be slow cooked so that both lentils and rice are evenly cooked.
- This is a bit spicy khichdi. Hence, adjust the number of chilies and spices according to your preference.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
Urad Dal Khichdi Recipe
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- ½ Cup split black gram (chilka urad dal)
- 1 Cup white rice
- ⅛ Cup ghee (jeera)
- 4 cloves (laung)
- ½ inch cinnamon stick
- 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
- 2 dry red chilies
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ½ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- ⅓ Cup chopped red onion
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 ½ Cup water
- 2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala ( see recipe )
Instructions
- Rinse urad dal until water runs clear. Soak dal in water for 1 hour. Similarly, rinse rice until water runs clear. Soak in a separate bowl for 15 minutes.
- Once you are ready to prepare khichdi, drain all the water from lentil and rice. Keep them next to the stovetop.
- Heat ghee in a pressure cooker over medium flame. Once hot, cumin seeds, red chilies, cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, grated ginger, and asafoetida. Fry for 20 seconds.
- Add chopped onion. Saute onion till light brown in color. This takes 1 minute.
- Add lentils (dal), red chili powder, turmeric, and saute precisely for 1 minute. This step enhances the flavor of khichdi.
- Next, add rice, mix nicely with other ingredients in the pressure cooker. Add water, salt, and garam masala. At this stage, taste khichdi liquid and if required season with more salt/spices.
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker. Cook khichdi for 2 whistles over low to medium heat. Allow the steam to release naturally from the pressure cooker.
- Open the lid and fluff the khichdi using a fork or spoon.
- Serve Urad Dal Khichdi warm with ghee, papad, and achaar.
Video
Notes
- This khichdi is prepared with split black gram. DO NOT use skinned or whole black gram.
- Ghee gives a sweet taste and aroma to the khichdi. Also, it aids in digesting urad dal. I would not recommend using any other fat for cooking this khichdi except ghee or unsalted butter.
- Do not pressure cook the khichdi over high heat. It needs to be slow cooked so that both lentils and rice are evenly cooked.
- This is a bit spicy khichdi. Hence, adjust the number of chilies and spices according to your preference.
Nutrition
Looking for a quick and easy vegan meal? This vegetable lentil stew is ready in just 20 minutes! It’s perfect for family dinner .
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How To Make Lentil Stew
- Serving Suggestion
- FAQs Related To Lentil Stew
- Instant Pot Lentil Stew Recipe
Lentil Stew is a delicious, fulfilling vegetarian casserole made with brown lentils (whole masoor dal), vegetables (carrot, peas, onion, potato), herbs, and seasoning.
I like to call it a fridge-forage stew made with leftover vegetables and a few basic pantry staples.
It is one of my favourite dinner for the busy weeknights.
Reasons to LOVE Lentil Stew
- it is nutritious and nourishing
- only 10-minute cooking time
- family and budget-friendly
- it is vegan and gluten-free
- has zero added sugar
- one-pot meal ( means fewer dishes for cleaning )
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Brown Lentils: The base of this stew is the brown lentil or the whole masoor dal . I use the dried lentil and cook them i the stew itself. Lentils are the best source of plant-based protein. Here are my favourite 21 ways to eat lentils every day.
- Vegetables : From potato, sweet potato, carrot, beans, peas (fresh or frozen) , squash to green leafy vegetables or tomato, feel free to add vegetables of your choice in the stew.
- Herbs: Nothing beats the taste of fresh herbs in a stew. I love the combination of garlic, thyme, oregano, and parsley in my stew. But that does not mean you cannot experiment.
- Seasoning: I like to keep it simple and let the flavour of the fresh herbs shine throughout my stew. Hence, salt, pepper, and a dash of red paprika does the magic for me.
- Stock or Broth: If you want to make a flavoursome stew, please use vegetable stock instead of water to cook the lentil and vegetables. In case, you are out of homemade stock, use stock cubes/bouillon cubes dissolved in warm water or canned stock.
How To Make Lentil Stew
Here is a step-by-step instant pot stew cooking method.
- Wash, and soak the dry lentil in 1 cup of water for 10 – 15 minutes or till you chop vegetables for the stew.
- Set IP to saute mode for 5 minutes. Add oil, garlic, thyme, and onion in the inner pot. Saute for a minute to release the aroma.
- Next, add vegetables, soaked lentil, and saute for 1 – 2 minutes.
- Add warm vegetable stock , salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Close the lid of the IP. Set the stew mode for 10 minutes. Move the steam valve to the sealing position.
- After the IP beeps, release the steam manually. Open the lid, gently mash the lentils using the back of the ladle. Add spinach leaves. Stir to combine them into the stew.
- Taste the stew, if required add more salt or pepper.
Serving Suggestion
Lentil Stew is a wholesome, one-pot meal in itself. Usually, apart from bread, there aren’t many sides required to accompany it.
Serve stew with homemade bread , over mashed potato or sweet potato, or on top of herb quinoa or couscous. It is best enjoyed on its own with artisanal bread slices.
Yes, you can use canned lentils. Drain all the liquid and rinse the lentils with water. Cook the stew only for 5 minutes.
From pumpkin, sweet potato, squash, kale, baby spinach, beans, boneless chicken, to turmeric, curry powder, and cheese, you can add a lot of your favourite to make this stew suit your taste preference. Stew is a highly customizable lentil recipe.
More Soup Recipes
- Green Pea Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Vegetable Thukpa
- Creamy Corn Soup
- Mulligatawny Soup
- Almond Broccoli Soup
- Thai Green Curry Soup
- Healthy Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 Cup brown lentil (sabut masoor dal), uncooked
- ▢ 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- ▢ 1 teaspoon thyme
- ▢ ½ Cup chopped onion
- ▢ ½ Cup chopped carrot
- ▢ ½ Cup green peas (fresh or frozen )
- ▢ ½ Cup chopped potato
- ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
- ▢ 4 Cup warm vegetable stock ( see recipe )
- ▢ ½ Cup spinach, finely chopped
Instructions
- Wash, and soak the dry lentil in 1 cup of water for 10 – 15 minutes or till you chop vegetables for the stew.
- Set IP to saute mode for 5 minutes.
- Add oil, garlic, thyme, and onion in the inner pot. Saute for a minute to release the aroma.
- Next, add vegetables and saute for 1 – 2 minutes.
- Drain water from the soaked lentil. Add lentil to the inner pot of IP. Add salt and pepper. Saute for the remaining set time.
- Add warm vegetable stock. Stir to combine. Close the lid of the IP. Set the stew mode for 10 minutes. Move the steam valve to the sealing position.
- After the IP beeps, release the steam manually. Open the lid, gently mash the lentils using the back of the ladle. Add spinach leaves. Stir to combine them into the stew. Taste the stew, if required add more salt or pepper.
- Serve lentil stew warm with bread.
Recipe Notes:
- I have used dry, uncooked lentils for making the stew. If you are using canned lentils make sure to drain all the liquid and rinse them before adding in the stew.
- If vegetable stock is not available use 1 stock cube and dissolve it in 4 cups of hot water. Or you can use boiled pasta water to flavour the stew.
- If you are using frozen vegetables make sure to thaw them as per packet instructions before adding in the stew.
- You can jazz up your stew with curry powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, or red chilli flakes.
- If you are not vegan, then sprinkle parmesan cheese on your stew before serving. It is a total game-changer.
Nutrition
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